RIO DE JANEIRO; Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio Deivson Lopes Maciel has broken the record held by former England international Peter Shilton for most competitive appearances in world football.

The 44-year-old made his 1,391st appearance in the last 16 of the Copa Sudamericana – the South American equivalent of the Europa League – beating America de Cali 2-0 at the Maracana.

Fabio made his professional debut in 1997 and has spent his entire career in Brazil, representing Uniao Bandeirante, Atletico Paranaense, Vasco da Gama, Cruzeiro and Fluminense.

Most of his appearances came at Cruzeiro (976) between 2005 and 2022 while he made 150 for Vasco da Gama and 30 for Uniao Bandeirante. His record-breaking outing on Tuesday was his 235th match for Fluminense.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, Shilton held the record with 1,390 appearances though he has always claimed he has played three fewer, at 1,387.

The discrepancy arises from including or excluding certain matches, specifically those with the England Under-23s and some unofficial games. Guinness includes 16 unspecified ‘unofficial’ games that Shilton does not. Shilton, on the other hand, includes 13 matches for England’s Under-23s that are typically not counted because they are not ‘senior’ matches.

Fluminense and their fans paid tribute to Fabio before and after the match in Brazil while he wore a shirt with a special patch to celebrate the milestone.

“I have to thank everyone who is part of my life – my father, my mother, my sisters, my friends, my wife. I try to be a good human being,” he said.

“The important thing is to help my team-mates. I am grateful, but without God nothing would be possible.”

Fabio joined Fluminense in 2022 and won the Copa Libertadores the following year when they beat Boca Juniors in the final.

He also started all six games at the Club World Cup as Fluminense reached the semi-finals but lost to eventual winners Chelsea.

He made history at the tournament in the United States with a record-breaking 507th clean sheet – overtaking former Italy international Gianluigi Buffon.

In May, Fluminense handed Fabio a contract extension to keep him at the club until December 2026, by which time he will be 46.

His only international experiences came last century, when he won the 1997 Under-17s World Cup, with Ronaldinho a team-mate, and reached the semi-finals of the under-20 version two years later.

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